Quilting and other random thoughts

Land of Lincoln

We arrived in The Land of Lincoln and Route 66 (aka Springfield, Illinois) mid-afternoon, in time to grab a bite to eat and head to the Lincoln Museum & Presidential Library.

It was 97 degrees out with a stiff breeze that did nothing to relieve the heat and humidity. This was the hottest day so far, and much too hot to leave my Dad’s little dog Daisy in the car – even in the shade of the parking garage. Daisy is a toy American Fox Terrier and barely weighs 5 pounds. She fits perfectly into a small “dog purse” so off we went.

Unfortunately, Daisy wasn’t allowed in the museum (which is okay since she is not a service dog – we were just hoping.) Instead, we took turns going through the exhibits. Daisy was welcome (inside her purse) in the large lobby and the gift store. While waiting for Dad to return, the security guard apologized again and explained many little dogs had visited the museum in the past, but after someone brought in a turtle and turned it loose in the exhibit (?!), all bags had to be searched and no pets could be allowed in.

What an experience! The museum is amazing (even when you have half the time you thought you did to read everything!)

You really need to spend a couple of days in the Springfield area to appreciate and do everything associated with Lincoln, but if you can only do a couple of things, visit the museum and Lincoln’s Tomb. We visited the tomb then next morning.

It is a beautiful marble structure featuring replica bronze Lincoln statutes of the ones installed around the United States.

The large bust in front of the tomb is a smaller version of the roadside memorial one in southeastern Wyoming.

The nose is still a shiny brass color because everyone rubs his nose! So, when in Rome…..

People also leave pennies around the base. I left a shiny 2013 penny.

You are allowed to take pictures inside the tomb. Lincoln is buried 10 feet below this marble headstone. His wife and three of their four children are also buried nearby within the tomb.

The walls are adorned with engravings of some of his speeches including the Gettysburg Address and the farewell speech he gave when he left Springfield to assume the duties as President. Both Dad and I were struck again how much Abraham Lincoln could say in so few words and how much relevance those words still have today.